Toptal connects companies and business owners with freelance designers, developers, finance experts, product managers, and growth strategy consultants. Toptal stands out in the freelance marketplace because it only works with the top 3% of candidates who apply. Each candidate is extensively vetted and goes through a rigorous screening process. Toptal works with world-class growth strategists with skills that can help overcome business challenges and become more profitable.
Guide To Hiring Freelance Growth Strategy Consultants
The growth strategy field has changed in recent years, and many talent platforms can connect owners with skilled freelancers seeking work. Hiring a freelance specialist can help you increase your profits by giving you an outside perspective on the company’s business plan. The right consultant can help you overcome market challenges and build a lean and profitable business operations setup that improves your company's performance. Here is everything you need to know if you are looking to hire growth strategy experts.
What Are Growth Strategy Consultants and What Do They Do
A growth strategy consultant can create a plan to help your business achieve sustainable growth. A good consultant will examine various aspects of your business and its challenges to come up with strategies to propel growth. Whether you need assistance driving sales or creating a new marketing campaign, the right growth consultant will have the expertise to guide you to a new level of profitability.
What Business Consulting Services Do They Provide
Experienced growth strategy experts can examine the infrastructure of your business and come up with targeted opportunities for growth. They specialize in performing the following consulting services:
- Sales analysis
- Sales planning
- Marketing
- Information technology
- Performance management
- Web presence
Many consultants specialize in one area of business growth, so ensure the candidate has experience in your sector before hiring them.
Benefits of Hiring a Growth Strategy Consultant
Growing a business is not easy, and there are many benefits to hiring freelance growth strategy specialists to help your management team identify development opportunities. Here are a few of the benefits of hiring a consultant:
- Unbiased perspective
- Time savings
- Access to resources and tools
- Customized growth approach
Hiring a consultant can also help your business get out of a rut by benefiting from a new perspective.
Why Hire Growth Strategy Consultants
Instead of hiring someone on a full-time basis, you can hire a freelancer to complete specific projects or tasks related to business management or business operations. Other benefits of hiring a freelance growth strategy consultant include:
- Affordability: Freelancers are considerably more cost-effective than full-time employees. You don’t have to provide freelancers with benefits, salaries, or paid time off. The money you save on staffing can be reinvested into your business.
- Flexibility: Hiring freelancers gives companies the flexibility to work with a variety of individuals with diverse skill sets. For instance, one individual could work on your business development plans, while someone else could improve your marketing campaigns.
- High-quality work: You can ensure you receive high-quality work from applicants by looking at their portfolios, requesting recommendations from previous clients, and having them complete a test project. Freelancers need to please clients to make money, ensuring they are committed to delivering high-quality work.
Not only can an experienced consultant help you increase sales, but you can leverage their experience to build a company infrastructure to facilitate future growth.
How Do I Hire Growth Strategy Consultants
When you want to hire growth strategy consultants, you have some options to consider. You can hire an individual part-time, full-time, or freelance. Hiring a freelance consultant is ideal for most businesses because there is no long-term commitment, and you don’t have to spend money on hiring full-time employees. Freelancers offer high-quality work that can help improve your business performance, without the costs that come with hiring someone permanently.
What Skills Should I Look for When Hiring Growth Strategy Consultants
Growth strategy specialists perform a wide variety of duties on behalf of clients. It is important to hire a consultant with a varied skill set so you can get the most value for your money. You should look for a job seeker with the following skills:
- Observation
- Problem-solving
- Communication
- Organization
- Time management
- Objectivity
While experience is often more important than education, job seekers with business, finance, or communication degrees are more likely to have the skills needed to grow your company and build it for efficient operations and performance.
How Much Does It Cost To Hire Growth Strategy Consultants
How much it costs to hire a consultant will depend on several factors, including how long you want someone to work and the types of projects you need completed. The average growth strategy consultant makes over $96,000 per year. While a part-time freelancer will not cost you nearly as much, you should carefully consider your budget before hiring someone.
Where To Find Growth Strategy Consultants For Hire
When choosing the best freelance growth strategy consultants for your business, make sure you consider the following factors:
- Portfolio: The best way to evaluate a consultant’s skills is to request a portfolio of past work. See what types of projects they’ve completed and what kinds of clients they’ve worked with. It is a best practice to look for a freelancer who has previously worked with clients in your industry so you know they have experience in building action plans that will work. While the applicant may have a solid portfolio of work in the medical industry, that experience may not serve you if you operate in the hospitality sector.
- Communication skills: Growth strategy advisors must have top-notch communication skills. The best business leaders and consultants can succinctly articulate ideas, request information, and discuss problems. A consultant also needs to be an excellent listener to properly absorb and understand the needs of your business.
- Problem-solving abilities: Growth strategy consultants need to be able to identify business challenges and come up with creative solutions. It requires logic and imagination to break down a problem and come up with an inventive solution. In fact, the best freelancers will not only solve current problems but come up with solutions to prevent future problems and business challenges.
- Unique Approach: Before you hire a consultant, you should ensure your chosen professional takes an individualized approach with each client. Some freelancers work with many clients and develop similar plans for many companies. Make sure the consultant has the time and motivation to create a unique strategy for your business, rather than repurposing a plan made for a previous client.
- Reviews: Freelancers often request reviews from clients to post on their websites. Make sure you read these reviews for information on an individual’s communication skills, work ethic, and promptness. Ask applicants for a list of referrals and contact a few of their previous clients to ask about their experience working with the freelancer.
You should also consider the freelancer’s hourly rates, turnaround times, and location. While it is not necessary to work with someone who lives in your area, you may want to choose someone in a similar time zone if you need to call them regularly.